Tag: Newfoundland

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Cats and Quilts

As I’ve spoken of before, we’re redecorating the cabins, making them our ‘own.’ It’s been fun for me, and especially fun for the Berry (Laurelyn). And even more fun now that her daughter, Rebecca, has spent the past week visiting us from Ontario, and the two have been hard at work.

Rebecca brought home a pillowcase for the Cranberry Suite – it’s brand new, but helps give a vintage-y feeling. As soon as the bed was made, Molly jumped on and made it her own. She thinks she’s made a new friend.

One of the things tourists (and Newfoundlanders, for that matter) love about this province are our beautiful handmade quilts. The province is dotted with stores selling quilting supplies and sometimes finished items, like the Piece Makers in Conception Bay (just outside St. John’s). For some really stunning work, check out the work of artist Vicky Taylor-Hood, whose work is available at the Devon House in downtown St. John’s – a store not to be missed on any visit to the city. Happy Quilting!

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Daylight Savings Show Off

I hope no one forgot about Daylight Savings this weekend. I’m an early riser so I welcome the change. And Sunday was especially bright and sunny in Whiteway, so I thought I’d show off Shag Rock basking in all its glory. I’m truly grateful to wake up to this view every morning, and go to bed with it every night.

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Wonderful Windy

WWW at the WWW – that’s Wonderfully Windy Weather at the Wonderful World of Whiteway. As you can see in this blurry picture, we had a downed tree last night resting on the power line feeding the house and cottages.

Thank God for good guests. Len and Ryan, from Grand Bank, are currently working at Argentia and making our Partridgeberry their home away from home. They were out barbequing last night, so I stopped by for a chat.

Thankfully, while we were talking, they noticed the tree. I wasn’t sure what to do, so Ryan asked if I had a chainsaw – we do, thanks to the Berry and Kijiji. Without hesitation, Ryan said, “get it for me and I’ll fix that for you right now.”

And sure enough, he cut the tree down and saved the day (or should I say night). We still have electricity.

How sweet it is. God love good guests, and God love Newfoundlanders who’ll pitch in to help at a moment’s notice!

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Joe Friday

Joe’s at it again – going out of his way to be worth his weight in gold. Here he is making a huge pot of chicken soup for our weekend guests – of which we’ll have plenty, as for the first time, we have every cottage booked. And this is low season!

Joe claims to make the best chicken soup – and he says it’s a good match for our cottages, which he calls chicken soup for the soul.

We Byrnes like to banter, but in this case I have to agree: the soup is fantastic, and this place is good for the soul. I’d be lying if I said our guests were going to be the only ones enjoying themselves (or the soup!) this weekend.

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Take a Seat

I needed a break half-way through another ‘out with the old, in with the new’ furniture haul. I should have flipped the couch and left it there, making it the best seat in the house for its ocean view.

Our end-of-March deadline for upgrading the cottages draws nigh, so I’m doing lots of little trips with a loaded truck. Thankfully, driving ‘around the bay’ is stunning, and almost worth the trip itself. Here’s Green’s Harbour, a community about two miles away from Whiteway (and Ocean’s Delight).

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Ok, Winter Dreams, Too

In St. John’s today so I’m not sure what yesterday’s storm did to Whiteway. Hoping it will look this clear and pristine, but assuming some snow clearing awaits. Sometimes I get fed up with the cold, but, really, there’s beauty in all the seasons, and I’m learning that cottages are fun places to hunker down.

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Summer Dreams

Because I refuse to give today’s storm any more attention (and because I want to remember that summer exists), here are my “Serenity Now!” thoughts for today:

Me and the Berry, in Cuba (post-election, by the way!)

 

Visiting my daughters in Vancouver

 

Enjoying the sunset in Virginia Beach (which I called ‘home’ for 8 years)

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Feed the Birds

I’ve gotten into bird feeding – we now have the fattest birds in heaven (our house is called Heaven’s Gate). Our juncos are now puffed little creatures like the Peeps my daughters can’t get enough of at Easter.

Now that Spring is coming, we’re excited for the new birds we’ll be seeing. The namesakes for our Heart’s Delight Cottages – the Gannet, the Loon, the Osprey and the Puffin – will soon be welcome guests. This part of the province is a bird watcher’s paradise, with the bounty in the sea and shore making for easy meals. And easy viewing from the decks of our cottages.

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Busy, Busy, Busy!

A busy weekend but a good one. On top of all the moving and building and painting and etc, we also got to meet and register several guests – that’s the fun part that makes it worthwhile.

Now, if you’re looking to book, we promise that every cottage is already gorgeous, stocked, and ready to be enjoyed. But, we’re still new owners, so we’re doing a lot to make the cottages “ours.” Our target is to have everything in place by the end of March so we’ll be completely ready for high season. Can’t wait!

And a busy work day’s not so bad when Laurelyn knows how to cook up a mean tortellini with meatballs, and I know just how to pair it with the perfect red wine – overall, it’s been a great weekend!

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Devon Hex

Barely a week into these posts and already I’m cat blogging! This is Molly, the fairy cat, the Devon Rex who has hexed my soul. Thanks to our new friend Nicole Winters for the great picture.

This cat is quite the creature. If it’s possible, she seems to like her new home in Whiteway more than we do. She’s really settled in, and who can blame her?

I never expected to be a cat person. And then you get one and she ropes you in. Expect more posts about Molly in the future. And when you check in at our cottages, don’t be surprised if this little one sneaks a peak!